ALCTS Newsletter Online–All in One Page

Letters from ALCTS

From the Editor

Greetings of the Season

I hope you enjoy this issue of ANO and aren’t too stressed out by the need to tie up loose ends before the end of the year. My winter break always includes bringing home a big bag of work that I can never possibly finish, yet I never give up hope. I’m not sure if that makes me an eternal optimist or just someone who tries to do too much.

I’d like to draw your attention to some important items:

My term as ANO Editor will conclude following the 2011 ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans. It’s been a wonderful (almost) six years and I can’t emphasize enough the benefits of serving in this role. I’ve met amazing people and have had the opportunity to participate in ALCTS at a level that wouldn’t have been possible if I hadn’t held an office or provided a leadership role. A search is in progress for my successor, and I’ll mentor the successful candidate during the transition period. See the News section of this issue for details. Being actively involved in ALCTS enriched my experience as an ALCTS member and I’m grateful for the experience.

The list of forums, programs and IG topics for the 2011 ALA Midwinter Meeting is now available. The offerings run the gamut from the New Members IG, RDA, preservation, the future of collection development, patron driven acquisitions, and open access journals. See the Midwinter Events Preview in this issue for more information. In addition to forums and meetings, there will be an ALCTS member reception Saturday, January 8, 2011, 6–8 pm in the Hilton Bayfront Hotel, Aqua Room 306 (third floor).

ALA is launching a new Conference Scheduler to replace the dreaded Event Planner. See News from ALA for details.

This issue contains reports from the IFLA Reports from the World Library and Information Congress: 76th IFLA General Conference and Assembly that took place in Gothenburg, Sweden in August 2010. I express thanks to those ALCTS members who serve as representatives to IFLA and who provided reports. Special thanks to Sha Li Zhang for the photographs she provided to accompany her report. See the Features section.

Wendy Pradt Lougee, University Librarian, University of Minnesota, has written a tribute to her colleague Karen Hunter, who will be retiring after a long and distinguished career, most recently at Elsevier. See the Features section for details.

Letters from ALCTS

From the President

ALCTS Is Bold and Daring!

Your ALCTS Executive Committee discussed this statement at the Fall Executive Committee meeting. We all agreed it was true. Does this seem surprising? Here are some ways in which ALCTS has been bold and daring:

Use of ALA Connect Space: Our division uses this ALA tool in a larger quantity than any other division within ALA. Our committees and interest groups have used the space to post minutes and other documents, to conduct committee business, and to hold online chat sessions on specific topics. If you don’t know what ALA Connect is, take a look. It’s free to all ALA members. And, members can start their own groups.

ALCTS Forums: We were the first ALA division to make use of Forums on a wide scale to cover hot topics at Conferences. ALCTS and each of our sections now have a timeslot reserved at both Midwinter and Annual to cover hot topics. Most forums are arranged within the lead time needed for formal programs. ALCTS has been consistently doing this for about five years and it has been a very successful strategy. Attendance at the forums has been excellent. ALA is looking at this Forum model that ALCTS uses as a potential model for others to adopt, particularly for Midwinter.

Section Restructuring: As you know, we’ve been discussing ALCTS restructuring for a few years now. More on that will happen in 2011. However, n the meantime, much restructuring is happening or has already taken place in the sections. The Preservation and Reformatting Section (PARS) completely restructured and streamlined their organization a few years ago. Serials Section became the Continuing Resources Section (CRS) a few years ago. The Collection Management and Development Section (CMDS) is in the process of becoming the Collection Management Section (CMS). Read more about that transition on the section web page.

Other examples of bold, daring, and forward-thinking action on the part of ALCTS are:

The very successful current continuing education (CE) programs open to all (webinars, online courses, electronic forums) which often are repurposing content from conferences to allow more members access to content previously only available for conference attendees.

Preservation Week: This is ALCTS’ outreach to directly serve the general public as an association. The second one is coming April 24-30, 2011.

My conclusions from all of this are:

Our membership adapts quickly to new tools and technology.

We’re eager to learn new things, to communicate with each other, and to share our ideas.

As I write this shortly after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, I am thankful for our bold and daring organization and for each and every member. I am excited to be part of ALCTS as we evolve and move eagerly together into the future.

Letters from ALCTS

From the Office

Surviving the Impending “End of the World”

December 21, 2012 is almost everybody’s end of the world date. At least the Mayans seem to think so, but it’s all open for interpretation, of course. Then there is the alignment of all the planets. But that’s only two years from now. We have lots of work to do between now and then. The year 2012 also corresponds with when many early baby boomers are slated to turn 66 and maybe, possibly retire. Really, a much scarier event. We face another election year. It’s leap year. Chicago will have a new mayor not named Daley. It just might be the end of the world. Such a confluence of events has not been seen since the turn of the millennium.

So, how can ALCTS celebrate this notion of the end of the world, maybe as we know it? Actually for some of us, the end of the world as we know it happened years ago with the advent of all the techie stuff that has proliferated in the marketplace over the decade or so, not to mention world events and personal traumas. Maybe we can celebrate this by looking into the future past the doomsday predictions and see what our world will be like in say 2020 or 2030. In 2007, we celebrated our past fifty years and we coined the phrase, “Creating Our Future.” That was aimed at ALCTS’ future. So why not look at our areas of interest and do some “futuring”?

So in the next two years, can we do some interesting things to mark this future? The futurists are always looking far ahead and taking aim at any number of things they think will happen or change or influence society or prepare for the inevitable visitation from aliens (see Star Trek: First Contact, actually is on my son’s 80th birthday, April 5, 2063). Futurists are an interesting bunch of people and really have some intriguing ideas (www.wfs.org).

Back to my question. What might we do? Certainly setting aside some programming slots dedicated to futuring would be a start. In our revamped Paper Series, we could carve out an occasional paper on futuring. There is the webinar futuring initiative. Maybe even take some time to devote part of the website to futuring. No one else at ALA does that. We could have a Futuring Interest Group.

The more I thought about this topic for my article, the more I found it to be attractive. No where else in ALA is futuring considered separately from the past. Even the new ALA strategic plan 2015 is based not in what might be but in what is now or has been. The Transforming Libraries goal could take on this role of looking far out, but chances are it won’t, which is a shame. I believe we need to stretch our vision. Libraries are constantly being asked to reinvent themselves but what might our role be in that transformation. My thinking is, to paraphrase, if you don’t know what future you’re attempting to define, any path will get you there.

Well maybe it’s time for us, ALCTS and you, the members, to begin to engage in this conversation about our future. Again, not of ALCTS, but of cataloging, acquisitions, collection management, preservation, and continuing resources and ….

Looking Ahead

Calendar of Professional Events

The events in this calendar are among the very best offerings for library technical services professionals, but are by no means the only events of interest. ALA maintains Affiliates Conference & Event Calendar 2009-2024, a comprehensive calendar of events of interest to all library professionals.

Symposia

The Administrator, RDA and the Future Catalog: Issues, Viewpoints, Alternatives

Thursday, January 6, 2011 from 8:30 am to 5 pm in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 04.

RDA is on the horizon. How will you implement it? What are the issues you need to pay attention to: Staffing? Budget? The catalog itself? Will RDA influence the future catalog? What might the future catalog be? This one day symposium examines the issues surrounding implementation of RDA and the future catalog. If you are a director, assistant director or department head or anyone interested in the impact of RDA, you do not want to miss this discussion.

Registration is $219 for ALCTS members, $269 for ALA members, $319 for non-members, and $99 for students and retired members. Registration information for the ALCTS Midwinter symposia can be found on the ALA Midwinter Meeting page.

Changing user expectations and the relentless shift to the digital medium are rapidly influencing library structures and services. Libraries are evolving to create and deliver new services, modifying their collecting patterns, and striving to meet new user demands. This day-long symposium will focus on the physical and digital infrastructure of libraries, conceiving and creating services to meet user needs and expectations, transforming collections and access, and how all of this will affect the people who work in libraries. Symposium attendees will have the opportunity to participate in collaborative activities during the event.

User Experience Design for the New Library John Blyberg, Assistant Director for Innovation and User Services, Darien Public Library, Darien, Connecticut

From Academic Library to Academic Commons at Occidental College Robert Kieft, College Librarian, Occidental College, Los Angeles, California

Digital Stewardship in the 21st Century Library: The Penn State Experience Michael Giarlo, Digital Architect and Patricia Hswe, Digital Collections Curator, Penn State University Libraries, State College, Pennsylvania

Registration is $219 for ALCTS members, $269 for ALA members, $319 for non-members, and $99 for students and retired members. Registration information for the ALCTS Midwinter symposia can be found on the ALA Midwinter Meeting page.

ALCTS thanks Oracle for their support of Beams & Bytes.

Forums

ALCTS Cataloging and Classification Section Executive Committee Forum

The ALCTS CCS Forum will take place on January 7, 2011, 3:30–5:30 pm in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 26 A/B.

The Forum will open with an introduction by CCS Chair Shelby E. Harken who will provide a report on the Task Force on Cooperative Cataloging.

The Forum will then consist of three sessions:

Legal issues involving cataloging provided by outside vendors that come with restrictions. Speaker: Joan Chapa, MARCIVE. Libraries working in a cooperative environment face legal issues in obtaining, using, and sharing records from various sources. What are the issues regarding use of various types of records supplied by MARCIVE (national library bib and authority records, AV Access, GPO, ERIC)?

SkyRiver versus OCLC. In a cooperative environment, can there be ownership? Speaker: Nancy Fleck, Michigan State University In cooperative cataloging, can there really be ownership? A well known issue is SkyRiver versus OCLC, but on a broader level it is open source/unrestricted use versus restricted use. How do restricted use records versus not restricted affect user access, interlibrary loan, cataloging work flows, NACO work, making library policy decisions, sharing records in a consortia or union catalog?

Standards in a cooperative environment. Who gets to set them? Speaker: Becky Culbertson, University of California, San Diego There have been many efforts over many years to formulate cataloging standards. Why do we do this? Who benefits?—Users? Catalogers? What generates them? How are they maintained? How do they fit in with "cataloger's judgment"? The whole purpose of agreeing on cataloging standards, we believe, is so that a significant corpus of libraries will benefit from not having to do significant editing of these records.

RDA Update Forum

The RDA Update Forum will meet on January, 7, 2011, 1:30–3:30 pm in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 26A/B.

RDA testing has been completed. Please the join the RDA Programming Taskforce for an informal panel discussion with a select group from the RDA test partners. Representatives from academic, museum, school libraries, ILS vendors and LIS faculty testers will present lively and informative discussion of their individual experiences and issues encountered during testing, as well as the insights they gained. Beacher Wiggins will also give a brief update on the status of the testing of RDA by the national libraries and other testing participants. Sally McCallum, Troy Linker, and Glenn Patton will also be available to answer questions related to RDA.

Caveat: As results from testing will not be available at this point, results will not be discussed during the panel, which consists of:

Kathryn La Barre, Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

In addition, join the RDA Programming Taskforce Planning on Saturday, January 8 from 10:30 am to noon in MAR Business Ste. 2. if you are interested in helping the taskforce develop future programs related to RDA.

Contact June Abbas ( jmabbas@ou.edu) for more information about the RDA Update Forum or the Programming Taskforce meeting.

CRS Committee on Holdings Update Forum

The CRS Committee on Holdings Information will hold a forum on January 8, 2011, 4–5:30 pm, in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 30C.

The forum topic is “Holdings information in Electronic Content Access.” Ensuring that users can access licensed or open digital content remains a key mission for librarians and content providers. If everything works properly, a patron should be able to click on a link and almost magically be connected to the content that they need. What is behind the click? Whether this simple action builds upon data quality in a knowledgebase, the link structure behind OpenURL, or DOI-linking functionality from citations, many people and services are responsible for this magic. Come learn about the latest developments with standards projects such as KBART (Knowledgebases and Related Tools) and IOTA (Improving OpenURLs Through Analytics) and discover how CrossRef simplifies access across the internet through DOI-linking. Speakers include:

KBART (Speaker to be announced)

Carol Ann Meyer, CrossRef

Oliver Pesch, IOTA

Collection Management and Development Section (CMDS) Forum

The CMDS Forum “Is Selection Dead? The Rise of Collection Management and the Twilight of Selection” will take place on January 9, 2011, 4–5:30 pm in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 25C.

Collection development is undergoing a dramatic change. With the rise of collection management, collection development as we have known it is becoming a dying art. Title by title selection is rapidly being replaced by expanding approval plan coverage, aggregator packages, and "take it or leave it" big deals. Administrators are worried that traditional selection takes too much time and effort, and the growing trend toward patron-driven selection, as well as the growth of Google Books and digital repositories further challenge the traditional roles of selectors and collection development librarians.

What is the overall impact of these trends? How is our intellectual work and engagement shifting? As we work in broader strokes selecting packages and developing digital collections, what are the implications for our knowledge of our collections overall? Is the shift from collection development to collection management a process of deprofessionalization and disintermediation of the selector, or an exciting new model we should all embrace?

Collection Management in Public Libraries

The Collection Management in Public Libraries IG will meet on January 10, 2011, 1:30–3:30 pm in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 24A. This interest group, co-sponsored by ALCTS CMDS and RUSA CODES, will discuss current topics of interest in collection development. Anyone interested in collection development and management is welcome to attend.

Continuing Resources Committee on Standards Update Forum

The ALCTS Continuing Resources Committee on Standards Update Forum will take place on January 9, 2011, 10:30 am–noon at the Hilton Bayfront, Aqua 314.

Speakers and topics:

Dina Benson, University of Florida. Encoded Archival Context: Corporate Bodies, People and Families (EAC-CPF) metadata standard. EAC is an international standard for encoding contextual information about "individuals, families, and corporate bodies that create, use, and are responsible for and/or associated with records in a variety of ways." (For more information, see: http://eac.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/)

Susan Marcin, Columbia University. Proposed NISO standard Improving OpenURL through Analytics (IOTA). "IOTA is an initiative that makes use of log files from various institutions and vendors to analyze element frequency and patterns contained within OpenURL strings. The reports created from this analysis allows users to make improvements to their OpenURL strings (by increasing the number of elements passed in an OpenURL string for example) so that the maximum number of OpenURL requests resolve to a correct record." (For more information, see: http://www.assembla.com/wiki/show/oq/IOTA_FAQ)

Sara Russell Gonzalez, University of Florida. The VIVO Project. VIVO is an interdisciplinary national network enabling collaboration and discovery between scientists across all disciplines." (For more information, see: http://www.vivoweb.org/)

PARS Forum

The PARS Forum topic is “ARL Preservation Statistics,” which have been discontinued while ARL is undergoing investigating and restructuring. The forum will examine how the preservation statistics have been done, have they may be used, etc. The Forum will take place on January 9, 4–5:30 pm at the San Diego Convention Center, Room 30E. Speakers include:

The speakers will provide a good picture of ARL’s status on collecting data on preservation. There will also be discussion of a new task force to review all of the ARL statistics.

The Forum organizers also plan to have Lars Meyer, Emory University, who worked on a report about measurable and measuring preservation activities in Research Libraries, participate via Skype.

ALCTS Forum

“Taking Our Pulse: The OCLC Research Survey of Special Collections and Archives,” http://www.oclc.org/research/, issued in October 2010, brought to light the continuing issue that many special collections in libraries are yet still “undiscoverable and monetary resources are shrinking at the same time that user demand is growing.” Jackie Dooley, OCLC Research, who authored the report with Katherine Luce, will lead a program dedicated to the findings of the report at this ALCTS Midwinter Forum on Monday, January 10, 10:30 am–noon in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 28 A/B.

The report is a follow-up study updating a 1998 ARL report. Key findings were grouped into eight categories each with a set of recommendations:

assessment

collections

user services

cataloging and metadata

archival collections management

digitization

born-digital archival materials

staffing

The top three most-challenging issues according to the study were: space, born-digital materials, and digitization.

Dooley will begin the discussion with an overview of the report. Additional speakers will address the view from a participant and an overview of a specific archival project.

Continuing Resources Cataloging Forum

The ALCTS CRS Continuing Resources Cataloging Forum will meet on January 10, 2011, 1:30–3:30 pm in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 11A.

The forum will include current news from the CONSER Coordinator, the ISSN Coordinator and CRCC CC:DA representative, and a discussion about the recent RDA testing conducted by the CRCC Informal RDA Testing Task Force.

Access to Continuing Resources

The Access to Continuing Resources Interest Group will meet from 4 to 5:30 (location TBD). The discussion topic is “Expanding and Understanding Access Options: From Open Access to Patron Driven to Article Rental.”

Learn about some newer access options that meet your library needs. Some universities now require faculty to publish in Open Access journals.

Speakers and topics:

Bob Schatz (BioMed Central, Springer) will explain how your library can support this movement and how the SpringerOpen journals expand publication options.

Acquisitions Managers and Vendors

The ALCTS Acquisitions Managers and Vendors Interest Group will meet on January 9, 1:30–3:30 pm in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 23 C. The discussion topic will be “Patron Driven Acquisitions: Is It Provocative, Disruptive and Alienating or Pretty Darned Awesome?”

In preparation for the ALA Annual Patron Driven Acquisitions Preconference, the IG will host a lively discussion exploring the current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats as more institutions come on board with PDA and will look at how it may shape the future. Are you already there? Come share your experiences. Are you considering implementing a patron driven workflow? Bring your concerns and questions to the table. Have you tried or thought about PDA and determined that it isn't a match for your institution's needs? This is a time to air those thoughts.

Authority Control

The Authority Control Interest Group, co-sponsored by ALCTS and LITA, will meet on January 9, 2011, 1:30–3:30 pm in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 11A. The meeting will consist of update reports followed by a business meeting. Anyone interested in authority control issues is encouraged to attend.

Book and Paper (BPIG)

The ALCTS PARS Book and Paper Interest Group will meet on January 9, 1:30–3:30 pm in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 24A. The use of web tools for collaboration, marketing, development, and funding purposes for preservation among other topics will be discussed.

Catalog Management

The Catalog Management Interest Group will meet on January 8, 1:30–3:30 pm at the San Diego Convention Center, Room 30C. There will be three presentations.

Batch-conversion of non-standard multiscript records by XSLT

Lucas (Wing Kau) Mak, Metadata and Catalog Librarian, Michigan State University. After switching to SkyRiver as its cataloging utility, Michigan State University Libraries (MSUL) has been using Z39.50 search as part of its copy cataloging workflow and using this federated search function to acquire HathiTrust records. During the course of bringing in multiscript catalog records for non-Roman script materials through Z39.50, MSUL catalogers realized that some records don't have original script data stored in 880 fields as required by MARC 21 specifications; instead, original script data are put alongside with their Romanized counterparts. Bringing in these non-standard records makes record structure of multiscript records inconsistent within the ILS. On top of that, it creates confusion in searching. Since manually correcting and inserting coding (i.e. MARC tag, indicators, and values in subfield 6) of MARC fields that contain original script data is extremely labor-intensive, the metadata librarian has created an XSLT to automate the process. This presentation will provide an overview of the issue, then focusing on the logic of the XSLT as well as the important factors that have affected the design of it.

The Journey to Single BIB

Jane Anne Carey, Metadata Resource Management Librarian, University of Florida Libraries. The State University Library System of Florida consists of 11 state-funded institutions. The Florida Center for Library Automation (FCLA) provides automation services for those libraries using Aleph, a shared Integrated Library System (ILS) created by ExLibris.

Since early 2008, subcommittees of the Technical Services Planning Committee (TSPC) have discussed the possibility of creating a shared bibliographic record architecture and sent forward a report to the Council of State University Libraries (CSUL). On the strength of that report, CSUL created the Single Bibliographic Record Task Force (SBTF) to investigate the steps needed to create an effective merged ILS. In May 2010, FCLA created a test catalog of the merged records of the three largest libraries - Florida State University, University of Florida, and University of South Florida. Besides participating in the theoretical discussions, the three libraries worked on a clean-up project of incorrect bibliographic tags to keep the legacy of successive catalogs and evolving cataloging rules.

All of the work put into this project so far has led to a greater spirit of cooperation among technical service departments in solving problems and maintaining a clearer catalog for our patrons.

Reclaiming your Catalog: Benefits of Batch Reclamation

Roman S. Panchyshyn, Catalog Librarian, Assistant Professor, Kent State University. As one of the founding members of OhioLINK, Ohio’s statewide library consortium, Kent State University Libraries have operated using Innovative Millennium software (KentLINK) since the 1990s. Various cataloging policies and practices over the years have led to significant discrepancies between materials held locally and holdings posted to OCLC WorldCat. In 2009, KSU Libraries planned and undertook a batch reclamation project with OCLC to clean up and reset KSU library holdings on OCLC WorldCat.

This presentation will review the entire cycle of KSU’s successful batch reclamation project. The presentation will cover the planning process, project setup and output, database clean-up, and ongoing maintenance. Emphasis will be placed on the importance for libraries to plan and document the project thoroughly from beginning to end, to extract and deliver controlled data for OCLC processing, to locate and identify problem areas in the collection based on project output, and to organize database clean-up projects for problem data. If the batch reclamation project is managed carefully, it will benefit all involved partners.

Cataloging and Classification Research

The ALCTS CCS Cataloging and Classification Research Interest Group will meet on January 9, 10:30 am–noon, at the San Diego Convention Center, Room 33A. The focus of the meeting will be reports and results from the 2010 ALA Year of Cataloging Research, with time allowed for questions and discussion.

The following presentations are scheduled:

Jimmie Lundgren, Associate Chair and Contributed Cataloging Unit Head, University of Florida. Report on the 2010 Year of Cataloging Research

Richard Sapon-White, Head of Cataloging, Oregon State University. The Impact of Subject Headings on Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Downloads at Oregon State University

Karen Snow, Ph.D. Candidate, Dept. of Library and Information Sciences, University of North Texas. Are We Laying Bricks or Building Cathedrals? A Study of the Perception of Cataloging Quality Among Academic Catalogers

Sherab Chen, Associate Professor and Coordinator for Non-Roman Cataloging, The Ohio State University Libraries. An Assessment of the Need to Provide Non-Roman Subject Access to the Library Online Catalog by Magda El-Sherbini and Sherab Chen

Cataloging Norms

The CCS Cataloging Norms Interest Group will meet on January 8, 2011, 1:30–3:30 pm in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 25C. The meeting will feature four speakers on the theme of preparations for RDA during the testing phase.

VTLS’s RDA Implementation Scenario One (FRBR)

John Espley, VTLS, Inc. Insights and processes from VTLS’s eight years of experience with FRBR and RDA

SkyRiver’s Approach to the RDA Test Period

Lynne Branch Brown, Vice President of Operations, SkyRiver. SkyRiver is taking a different approach to the RDA test period by allowing variant versions of bib records in the catalog, so that libraries have access to the form they need in their local catalog when looking for records. We have built-in mechanisms to identify RDA records when they are contributed to our database which allow them to remain separate from their AACR2 equivalent.

The Impact of RDA Authority Records on a Non- RDA Test Library

Miloche Kottman, Assistant Head of Cataloging, University of Kansas Libraries. The University of Kansas Libraries has close to 10 million authority records comprised of the entire LC name and subject authority files, as well as locally created authority headings in both files. We are not an RDA test library but we are loading RDA authority and bib records into our Voyager system. Based on our weekly load statistics, I will provide information on how many RDA authority records have been created and how many AACR2 authority records have been modified to add the RDA form as a 7xx field since Oct. 1. I’ll also share our authority maintenance experience during the text period and our plans to handle bib record changes in the event of the adoption or rejection of RDA.

The Columbia University Library and the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign Library participated in RDA testing on metadata standards other than MARC. Since the RDA test was focused on MARC, the test workflows for the non-MARC standards were developed by each individual library. The presentation will share the non-MARC testing experience from both libraries, specifically working with MODS and Dublin Core including the test set-ups and issues encountered when applying RDA to MODS and the Dublin Core element set.

College and Research Libraries

The ALCTS CRS College and Research Libraries Interest Group will meet on January 9, 2011, 10:30 am–noon in the Hilton Bayfront, Sapphire P. The program consists of two to three presentations on issues pertaining to continuing resources in college and research libraries.

Creative Ideas in Technical Services

The Creative Ideas in Technical Services Interest Group will meet January 9, 2011, 4–5:30 p.m., in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 30A. The interest group will discuss current topics of interest in technical services. The meeting is organizing a table format, and each table covers a different topic. Anyone interested in technical services is welcome to attend.

Digital Preservation

The Digital Preservation Interest Group will meet on January 9, 2011, 8–10 am in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 07A.

Speakers:

Mark Phillips, University of North Texas (UNT). Phillips will provide an overview and report findings of the UNT’s National Leadership Grant funded by IMLS to research areas relating to Web archiving and collection development in large research libraries. As Web archives become more available and accessible, many libraries will be collecting materials from these important information repositories. Librarians will need the capability to identify and select materials in accord with collection development policies. Additionally, libraries will need to characterize these materials using common metrics; however, such metrics do not exist, making it difficult for librarians to communicate the scope and value of these materials to administrators.

Kate Zwaard, GPO. Zwaard will present “Using project management to collaborate with your IT department”. The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) has launched the Federal Digital System (FDsys), a preservation repository providing permanent public access to federal government publications. The system has been the result of a year of requirements gathering, almost 3 years of development and the successful collaboration of dozens of librarians, stakeholders, and IT professionals. This presentation will outline the principles and tools of IT project management with the goal that attendees will be able to better communicate with IT staff to seize opportunities and solve problems. The project management process formalizes communication, which improves project transparency, reduces misunderstandings, and provides accountability with minimal overhead.

Electronic Resources (ERIG)

The ALCTS Continuing Resources Section, Electronic Resources Interest Group (ERIG) will sponsor a program on January 8, 10:30 am–noon in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 31 B. The meeting topic is “Electronic Resources Management as a Public Service: Delivering quality content at the right time, in the right places.”

Speakers and topics:

Donna Scanlon, Electronic Resources Coordinator, Library of Congress, “The Long Road to ERM: Are we there yet?”

FRBR

The ALCTS FRBR IG will meet on January 7, 2011, 10:30 am–noon in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 25C.

Speakers and topics:

Manuel Urrizola, Head of Technical and Metadata Services, University of California, Riverside. Coping with RDA/FRBR Anxiety. Urrizola will address the issue of RDA anxiety. He will present an elementary explanation of RDA and FRBR. Urrizola will discuss various issues that need to be addressed—training, workflow, and policy.

Yin Zhang and Athena Salaba, School of Library and Information Science, Kent State University. FRBRizing Existing MARC Records at Expression and Manifestation Levels. Zhang and Salaba will report on their work to “FRBRize” MARC records at expression level and manifestation level as part of an IMLS-funded project. They will discuss the FRBRization algorithms and processes for expressions and manifestations respectively and will report the FRBRization results and related analysis. Zhang and Salaba will also discuss issues and challenges facing FRBRization of legacy data.

There will be an election for the next FRBR IG Chair at the end of the program. The successful candidate will serve as Vice-Chair after the 2011 ALA Annual Conference and as Chair in 2012/2013. Contact Judy Jeng ( jeng.judy@gmail.com) for more information about the program or to express interest in running for FRBR IG chair.

Heads of Cataloging

The Heads of Cataloging Interest Group will meet on January 10, 2011, 8–10 am in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 07A. The discussion topic is “Test Driving RDA.” During this session, presenters will share and discuss their institution’s experience during the testing phase of RDA.

Speakers:

Kate Harcourt, Director, Original and Special Materials Cataloging, Columbia University Libraries

Robert “Bob” Maxwell, Head, Special Collections and Formats Catalog Department, Brigham Young University

Intellectual Access to Preservation Metadata (IAPM-IG)

Join IAPM-IG on January 8, 2011, 4–5:30 pm in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 24A for the “Demystifying audio preservation metadata: step-by-step.” Institutions must carefully develop and plan strategies to identify and capture necessary and most useful metadata. Two experts will examine a real-life audio collection slated to be digitized for preservation and access. They will, by means of a novice-to-expert, question-and-answer approach, identify and plan an institution's best metadata capture strategy. Attendees will come away from this session knowing some basic questions to ask when developing preservation metadata strategies and how best to make data decisions in the absence of tangible information. The speakers, both leaders of preservation and digital conversion units at academic institutions, will wrap up the session by facilitating a group discussion of metadata planning approaches.

Issues for the Practitioner

The CMDS Issues for the Practitioner Interest Group will meet on January 9, 1:30–3:30 pm in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 27A. The group will discuss issues deeply affecting us in our collection development and management areas.

Contact Shin Freedman, ( sfreedman@framingham.edu) Chair, CMDS, Issues for the Practitioners Interest Group for more information.

MARC Formats

The MARC Formats Interest Group will meet on January 8, 2011, 4–5:30 pm in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 26A/B. The discussion topic is “Will RDA Mean the Death of MARC?” The end of the MARC formats has been predicted for years, but no serious alternative format has risen up to challenge MARC. Will the introduction of the new RDA code precipitate the demise of MARC? Will RDA require the description of content and functionality that cannot be accommodated by the MARC formats, or that can be more easily accommodated by alternative content formats? If so, what format(s) will replace MARC? And if MARC does continue to thrive, how will it have to change to accommodate the new content descriptions in RDA?

Metadata (MIG)

The ALCTS Metadata Interest Group will meet on January 9, 2011, 8–10 am in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 05B.

Corey Harper, Metadata Services Librarian, New York University

Update on events following the 2010 Linked Data preconference, including special sessions held at ALA Annual 2010 and DC2010 in Pittsburgh, and the current work of the W3C Linked Library Data group.

Mike Giarlo, Digital Library Architect, Penn State University

Linked data design proposed by the NISO I2 (Institutional Identifiers) Working Group

New Members (ANMIG)

The ALCTS New Members Interest Group (ANMIG) will meet on January 8, 2011, 10:30 am–noon in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 30A. This meeting is open to all members of ALCTS as well as those considering membership in ALCTS. Come learn about ALCTS and ANMIG, how to become involved, and how to make the most out of your membership.

Public Libraries Technical Services

The ALCTS Public Libraries Technical Services Interest Group will meet jointly with the Dewey Breakfast on January 8, 2011, 7–10 a.m., in the Hilton Bayfront, Sapphire I. Learn what is new with Dewey, including DDC23 which will be released in early 2011, and WebDewey 2.0, and share ideas and concerns regarding evolving library standards as new formats emerge.

Publisher-Vendor-Library Relations

The Publisher-Vendor-Library Relations (PVLR) Interest Group invites you to attend their meeting on January 10, 2011, 8–10 am in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 02. The topic is “Seeking the New Normal: Periodicals Price Survey 2010.”

Do you want to hear the latest about journals pricing trends? The annual Periodicals Pricing Survey is always of great interest to all constituents of the library community due to the ever-hot debate on journal pricing. Please join us to hear from the authors of the recent article “Seeking the New Normal: Periodicals Price Survey 2010” published in Library Journal in April 2010. The panelists will share how the survey data was compiled and their thoughts regarding future trends. We will provide ample time for audience participation to encourage a lively discussion.

Role of the Professional Librarian in Technical Services

The Role of the Professional Librarian in Technical Services Interest Group will meet on January 9, 2011, 4–5:30 pm in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 31A. The discussion topic is “Batch Processing in Cataloging and Technical Services.”

Speakers:

Annie Wu and Anne Mitchell, University of Houston Libraries, and authors of the article “Mass Management of E-Book Catalog Records,” LRTS, 54(3), July 2010.

Scholarly Communications

The ALCTS Scholarly Communications Interest Group will host a panel discussion at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in San Diego on January 8, 2011, 1:30–3:30 pm in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 23C. The discussion topic is “Hybrid Journals: Transition to Full Open Access or Here to Stay?”

Two publishers, one faculty member, and one librarian will discuss the development, perceptions, and future of the hybrid model of journal publishing from different perspectives. An open forum will follow the panelists' presentations so that all participants can exchange ideas and explore possibilities for the future of scholarly publishing.

Technical Services Directors of Large Research Libraries (Big Heads)

The ALCTS Technical Services Directors of Large Research Libraries (Big Heads) Interest Group will meet on January 7, 2011, 9:30 am–noon at the San Diego Marriott and Marina, Marriott Hall 4.

Big Heads will hold its semiannual meeting to discuss informally issues within the field of technical services which are common to the administration of large research libraries. Active participation is reserved primarily for the interest group membership, but guests are welcome in the audience at Midwinter Meetings and Annual Conferences.

Technical Services Managers in Academic Libraries

The Technical Services in Academic Libraries Interest Group will meet on January 8, 2011, 8–10 am in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 23C. The discussion topic is "Changing Rules/Changing Formats" The meeting format consists of tables with each assigned a different discussion topic. Two tables will are reserved for discussing RDA; the first will address the technical issues and the second will address management issues with RDA. Another table is reserved to discuss streaming video. The fourth table will be assigned the discussion topic digital initiatives and Tech Services roles with them. The IG chairs will experiment with the last table.

Technical Services Workflow Efficiency

The ALCTS Technical Services Workflow Efficiency Interest Group will meet on January 10, 2011, 1:30–3:30 pm in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 30A. The discussion topic is “Outsourcing Practices in Technical Services.” While not a new trend, the outsourcing of technical services work is an increasingly ubiquitous presence in library operations and the management of resources. Many libraries are contracting out to vendors or external organizations as a solution to budget limitations, shrinking staff levels, and shifting priorities. Common areas of outsourcing include cataloging, digitization, and selection. Today, we refer to services like shelf-ready, patron-driven acquisitions, and the Google Books project. Our panel will share aspects of their library’s outsourcing profile, costs, benefits, comparative service quality, and assessment tools.

Panelists:

Judy Garrison, Head of Electronic Acquisitions & Serials Control, University of Texas, San Antonio

Features

A Tribute to Karen Hunter: Collaborator, Innovator

Wendy Pradt Lougee, University of Minnesota

As 2010 draws to a close, so does Karen Hunter’s distinguished tenure at Elsevier. Currently serving as Senior Vice President, Global Academic & Customer Relations, Hunter will retire in December. During her thirty-four years with Elsevier, Karen Hunter witnessed and shaped a remarkable era of publishing evolution and development. Recognized in 2006 with the ALCTS CSA/Ulrich’s Serials Librarianship Award (the first award given to a publisher), Karen has been a leader in the collaborative development of electronic publishing.

I had the privilege of working with Karen on three projects that reflect some of the milestones in the path of the digital publishing revolution. In the early 1990s, she faced a largely librarian audience (described as “a lion in a den of Daniels”) and forecast experimentation in network delivery of electronic journals. True to her word, the TULIP project was launched by Elsevier and engaged nine libraries in grappling with early problems of file transfers, user interfaces, and access tools. Mid-project, the World Wide Web took hold and dramatically altered the landscape. Many subsequent digital journal projects benefited from the experiences of TULIP.

In the mid-1990s, Karen was one of two publisher representatives on a CPA/RLG committee dealing with digital preservation. The resulting report, Preserving Digital Information (1996), was prescient for its early recognition of new archiving roles and responsibilities for publishers, the value of certification for digital archives, and the critical relationship between publishers and libraries in providing long-term access to digital content. She continued her engagement in these issues, developing early archiving policies for Elsevier.

A third project, PEAK (Pricing Electronic Access to Knowledge), was a partnership between Elsevier and the University of Michigan. PEAK explored pricing of electronic content through a field experiment with diverse institutional participants. Karen was instrumental in giving the research group generous latitude in modeling pricing at a time when publishers were firming up their own models for e-journals, a rare (and risk-taking) level of independence for a project that was offering Elsevier’s entire journal portfolio.

Collaboration and innovation have been the true hallmarks of Hunter’s career. She has artfully woven her skills honed early as librarian (at Cornell University), her many publisher roles (new business development, managing director, strategist), and her interest in the thorny policy issues of mutual concern. Her graduate degrees in history, library science, and business administration provided a marvelous mix of perspectives. Her service within numerous stakeholder groups, from CrossRef, to CLOCKSS, to NISO’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Future Strategy, has left a significant mark.

In a recent commentary on risk taking and librarianship, Karen shared a compelling description of her imprint in our community. As she approaches retirement, she offered: “I would argue that over the years it has been in speaking out that I have made my career.” I would argue that her voice and her substantial contributions have distinguished her career and her legacy.

Edward Swanson Remembered

Mary Beth Weber, ANO Editor

It is with great sadness that we note the passing of our colleague Edward Swanson, who passed away on December 10, 2010 following a brief illness.

Edward was well known for his work at the Minnesota Historical Society, where he worked for thirty-one years. During this time, he established his reputation as an outstanding cataloger and was one of the people who shaped AACR2 as well as the careers of many catalogers. Following his retirement from the historical society, he joined Minitex Contract Cataloging and managed their program. He served as the coordinator for the Minnesota PCC NACO Funnel. Edward retired from Minitex in January 2010.

Edward had a record of long and active professional service, including membership in ALA and ALCTS. He was a lifetime member of ALA. Edward’s ALCTS work includes an appointment as the LRTS Book Review Editor, which began in 2004. Under his leadership, the number of book reviews significantly increased. Edward also served as an ex-officio member of the LRTS Editorial Board, and indexed LRTS for decades, compiling the index for v. 1–25 in 1981, indexing the annual issues each year, and compiling the cumulative index to v. 1–50. There are 112 entries in WorldCat for him, and the majority is for AACR2 training manuals that he prepared with co-authors.

Edward served as the chair of CC:DA and was awarded the ALCTS Presidential Citation in 2007 in recognition for his contributions to ALCTS and the profession. In addition, he served on the ALCTS Board of Directors and his committee membership included terms on the ALCTS International Relations, Publications, and Membership Committees.

Edward was also active in IFLA, including an appointment to their Governing Board and membership on the Serials and Other Continuing Resources Section’s Standing Committee. His contributions to the Minnesota Library Association include serving as president. He was awarded the MLA President’s Award in 1981, and also received a Centennial Medal.

LRTS Editor Peggy Johnson was a close colleague and friend and noted, “He was always curious, always totally engaged, and a professional colleague and friend whom I and many others will miss.”

Feature

IFLA Reports from the World Library and Information Congress

The 76th IFLA General Conference and Assembly “Open Access to Knowledge: Promoting Sustainable Progress" took place August 10–15, 2010 in Gothenburg, Sweden. ALCTS sponsors representatives to eight sections of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions annual meeting (named World Library and Information Conference beginning in 2003): Acquisition and Collection Development, Bibliography, Cataloguing, Classification and Indexing, Knowledge Management, Preservation and Conservation, and Serials and Other Continuing Resources. We regret that reports were not available for all sections. Ed.’s note: We were fortunate to get two reports from ALCTS representatives to the Acquisitions and Collection Development Section.

Acquisitions and Collection Development Section

Judy Jeng, Clarion University

I attended the World Library and Information Congress: 76th IFLA General Conference and Assembly, in Gothenburg, Sweden. The conference attracted over 3,000 delegates from 128 countries. Gothenburg is the second largest city in Sweden. The conference theme was “Open Access to Knowledge: Promoting Sustainable Progress” and attracted excellent presentations from the world on this timely topic.

Preconference Tour

I took a preconference tour from August 6–9 to visit Stockholm, Sweden’s capital. Stockholm is called “the beauty on water,” is over 750 years old, and is steeped in tradition and history. The tour included an orientation tour of Stockholm, a visit to the Vasa Museum, a dinner in Old Town, a visit to the Drottningholm Royal Palace, and a visit to Skansen, the oldest open-air museum in the world, founded in 1891. I arrived in Gothenburg on August 9 by SJ X2000 train. The three-hour ride gave me another opportunity to see more of Sweden.

The Acquisitions and Collection Development Section Standing Committee met twice at the conference—Tuesday (August 10, 2010, 8:30–11:20 am) and Sunday (August 15, 2010, 1:15–2:45 pm). At the Acquisitions and Collection Development Section Standing Committee’s first meeting, Judy Mansfield, Chair of the committee, announced the change of section secretary (from diTillio to Hafner), change in membership (from Lammers to Ladron de Guevara), and appointment of a new Corresponding Member. Hafner led the discussion on the committee’s program in Gothenburg. Rudberg organized a dinner for the committee members on Saturday. Mansfield led a discussion on IFLA Strategic Plan 2010–2015 and the Acquisitions and Collection Development Section Action Plan 2010–2011, particularly regarding their intersection. Schmolling led the planning discussion on IFLA 2011 in San Juan, including complimentary accommodations for speakers, payment methods, and EURO versus Dollar.

At the Committee’s second meeting, members discussed possible future topics, 2012 satellite seminar in Finland, the location of the mid-term meeting (China and Washington, D.C. received higher votes), IFLA electronic resource guidelines, posting conference pictures to the blog, and section newsletter.

U.S. Caucus

The U.S. Caucus met on Tuesday, August 10, 2010, 6–7 pm Carla Funk welcomed attendees and introduced the presidents and executive directors of the American Library Association, the Association for Library and Information Science Education, the Association of Research Libraries, the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies, the Medical Library Association, the Special Libraries Association, and Urban Libraries Council. Agneta Olsson welcomed U.S. delegates to Gothenburg. Eilen Tise, IFLA President, gave welcoming remarks. Donna Scheeder, represented the Governing Board, and stressed the importance of building strong library associations and listening to members. Steve Witt, from the Professional Committee, discussed building new models to move the IFLA conference forward, including the analysis of section proposals, the establishment of five tracks, the implementation of a new financial model, and the modification of how the conference site is selected. Winston Tabb reported on the Committee on Copyright and other Legal Matters. Loida Garcia-Febo reported on FAIFE, the Newcomers’ Session, and the New Professional Group. Luisa Vigo-Cepeda gave a status report on preparing IFLA 2011 in Puerto Rico. Maija Berndtson reported on planning for IFLA 2012 in Finland.

IFLA Night Spot

I attended one IFLA Night Spot on August 10, held at Gothenburg City Library. Ellen Tise, IFLA President, welcomed the participants. Axiell presented their product.

Opening Ceremony

August 11 marked the official start of the conference. The Opening Ceremony, scheduled in the morning, was well attended with live music and dance. Jan Eliasson, Former President of the United Nations General Assembly and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, gave the keynote speech and stressed the importance of globalization of knowledge.

Newcomers’ Session

The Newcomers’ Session, on the afternoon of August 11, was informative and covered how to get the most from the IFLA conference, how to be actively involved in IFLA, and what to do in Gothenburg.

Exhibits

The conference attracted 160 international exhibitors. The exhibits opened on August 11 at 4 pm with a wine and cheese reception.

UNESCO Open Forum

The UNESCO Open Forum, on the morning of August 12, focused on UNESCO’s new open access initiatives. The printing landscape is changing. We need to conduct conceptual discussions on building knowledge society and providing universal access to information. We need to emphasize multilingual contents on Internet and access those multilingual materials via codes other than ASCII. The Open Access Initiative, which begins in 2010, focuses on Africa and developing countries.

Plenary Session

Hans Rosling gave an interesting and thought provoking speech on a fact-based world view at the August 13 Plenary Session.

President-Elect Brainstorming Session

A brainstorming session took place on August 13 to discuss Ingrid Parent’s presidential theme “Libraries Shape the Future.” There were five presentations on the concepts followed by round table group discussions for actions.

Conference Programs

Many excellent papers were presented at the conference. Conference attendees received proceedings in DVD format. I had the opportunities to attend a few programs:

Cataloging (August 12)

Four papers were presented at this program, including one about the Virtual International Authority File (VIAF) by Barbara Tillett from the Library of Congress.

Audiovisual and Multimedia (August 12)

Four papers were presented at this program, including a presentation of FADIS (Federated Academic Digital Imaging System).

National Organizations and International Relations (August 13)

Kjell Nilsson gave useful tips on how to participate in international activities, including an understanding of the task, an examination of cost benefits to your organization, and individuals’ competence including language competence.

Education and Training (August 13)

Five interesting papers were presented on the afternoon of August 13, including one on usability.

Academic and Research Libraries (August 14)

Interesting collaborative projects were presented at the program, including digital archiving, collaborative cataloging, and offsite storage.

National Libraries (August 14)

Speakers at this program shared their experiences in providing open access, including emphasis on cultural heritage and role of national libraries.

Acquisitions and Collection Development (August 15)

The Acquisitions and Collection Development Section Standing Committee organized this excellent program. Five papers, from France, Finland, Norway, and the United States were presented. The program theme was “Opening Doors to Spectacular Collections: Access to Multisensory, Multimedia and Mobile Materials.” Aalto University, in Finland, found that digital rights management (DRM) technologies support downloading but restrict access; e-readers are great for reading novels, but lack the functionality required for academic reading; and students still prefer to read e-books on laptops.

Dance Night

Conference attendees enjoyed a dance evening at Brewhouse on Friday, August 13. Complimentary cocktails were served.

General Assembly

The General Assembly met on Sunday, August 15, 2010. IFLA has members from 150 countries. The General Assembly approved the motions to hold the next General Assembly in August 2011 and to increase membership fees up to 2 percent.

Closing Session

Honors and awards were presented at the Closing Session. Chandou Lux was the recipient of Honorary Fellow this year. Angela Olsson, Chair of the Swedish National Committee provided closing remarks. Ellen Tise announced the closing of the General Assembly.

Acquisitions and Collection Development Section

Sha Li Zhang, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

On August 10–15, 2010, the World Library and Information Congress: 76th General Conference and Assembly was held in Gothenburg, Sweden. The theme of the Congress was “Open Access to Knowledge: Promoting Sustainable Progress.”

The Congress

The 2010 Congress was originally planned to be held in Brisbane, Australia. Due to inadequate financial support and a predicted low number of participants, IFLA made a decision and moved the Congress to Gothenburg, Sweden. The library colleagues in Sweden had only a short time to put this worldwide event together. As it was promised, the Swedish National Committee, the library colleagues, and Congress volunteers in Sweden did an excellent job in preparing this Congress and in welcoming more than 3,300 participants from 128 countries around the world. It was the fourth time that IFLA held its annual conference in Sweden.

As is always the case, the opening ceremony of the Congress is one of the highlights of the event. At the opening ceremony in Gothenburg, a guitar performance by Thomas Anderson opened the event. In subsequent acts, Agneta Olsson, Chair of the Swedish National Committee, and Ellen Tise, the IFLA President, offered their welcoming remarks and opening speeches respectively. Their words were closely tied to the Congress theme.

Jan Eliasson, former President of the sixtieth session of United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly (from September 13, 2005 to September 11, 2006), was a keynote speaker at the opening ceremony. Mr. Eliasson recalled that his father only had seven years of education which took place in a one-room school. Nonetheless, in his generation, Mr. Eliasson was able to graduate from college, earn a master’s degree, and holds honorary degrees from several institutions of higher education around the world. He emphasized the importance of reading and the power of the words. Eliasson asserts that the words of diplomacy are rich assets and tools to solve today’s conflicts; access to knowledge is the key to the development of society. Eliasson has continued to provide his services to the City of Gothenburg, has been a visiting professor at the University of Gothenburg, and often used the libraries in the city. He challenged librarians at the opening ceremony that they have obligations in fairly distributing knowledge between the haves and have-nots around the world. He encourages librarians that, though no one can do everything, one can do something to close the gap between the haves and have-nots. After the keynote address, a performance by an ABBA cover band led the event to the conclusion. The ABBA band is a pop group from a non-English-speaking country which has enjoyed success around the world since its inception in 1972.

Exterior, former Royal Library (built 1906)

The Section Standing Committee Meetings

The Acquisitions and Collection Development Section Standing Committee held two meetings during the IFLA Congress. The first meeting was on August 10, prior to the opening of the Congress. The committee members discussed the following agenda items:

Logistics for the open program hosted by the Section Committee during the Congress

IFLA Strategic Plan and its intersection with the Section’s Plan

Decisions on the location of the Section’s 2011 Midterm meeting

Planning for the Section’s satellite meeting in Virgin Island prior to 2011 IFLA Congress in San Juan

Considering a proposal for a satellite conference prior to 2012 IFLA Congress in Helsinki, etc.

Other agenda items included the changes on the membership composition. Corrado di Tillio from Italy and the Section’s Secretary resigned from the post and from the Section Committee. Joseph Hafner from Canada was elected to take the position. Glenda Lammers, a committee member from the United States, resigned from Committee. Helen Ladron de Guevara, former correspondent member from Mexico, was appointed to the ommittee.

The second committee meeting was held on August 15, prior to the closing ceremony of the Congress. Committee members received the reports of the Divisions II meeting from Judith Mansfield, Chair of the Committee; offered evaluations on the Committee’s open program and the Congress in general; reviewed progress on several projects undertaken by the committee members, i.e., translations on Gift Guidelines, completion on the Guidelines on Electronic Resources, using blogs and other social networking tools for communications, etc. The contents for the upcoming issues of the Committee’s Newsletter were explored at the meeting.

Children’s Room, Copenhagen Central Library

Open Program

The section committee had a very successful open program during the Congress, with the theme “Opening Doors to Spectacular Collections: Access to Multisensory, Multimedia, and Mobile Materials.” There were more than 200 delegates at the Congress attending the program.

Five papers were presented:

The Mobile digital library in the National Library of Norway, by Jingru Hoivik (Norway)—The presenter introduced plans under investigation at the National Library of Norway that will improve digital access through use of mobile devices. Google’s Android will be used as a platform. The specific examples of the investigation include a picture slide show on mobile devices; user/patron-provided pictures and voice-over/comments into library’s database via mobile phones; location-based information search; interface to mobile devices with multimedia presentations from library collections, and the establishment mobile user communities at the National Library of Norway.

When the academic reading room and the movie theatre get married, by Gregory Miura (France)—Though I had a hard time following the simultaneous English translation of this presentation, I gathered from the pictures shown by the presenter, it appears that the French university library redesigned and renovated the space that was used for group lectures and individual readings. The new space provides capability for viewing movies with a theater effect and access to web-based materials nearby the viewing location. The radio, audio, and video lines are well connected with all equipment to provide users a unique viewing experience.

How to create new services between library resources, museum exhibitions, and virtual collections, by Claudio Vandi and Elhadi Djebbari (France)—The presenters explored the potential (or possibilities) provided via mobile devices to store objects (videos, images, documents, bibliographies, etc.) and to retrieve them through the object’s identifier. Several technologies such as Near Field Communication, Bluetooth, RFID, QR codes, etc. were suggested to enable the mobile use in connecting these objects.

A collaborative study: on the demands of mobile technology on virtual collection development, by Mari Aaltonen and Marja Hjelt (Finland)—The presenters shared their studies on users’ experience with e-book readers. After analyzing the survey responses, they concluded that e-readers are great for reading novels, but lack the functionality required for academic reading.

Digital environments and libraries: using second life as a catalyst for campus wide virtual literacy initiative, by Julia Gelfand (United States)—The presenter introduced the University of California Irvine Library’s Anteater Island to highlight library services and to provide a platform for research and teaching to faculty.

Exterior, Black Diamond Library, the new Royal Library

Local Library Visit

After the Congress, I had opportunity to visit a few libraries in Copenhagen, Demark where I co-presented a paper with Dr. Loriene Roy at a satellite conference hosted by the IFLA Library Services to Multicultural Populations Section in Copenhagen:

The Old Royal Library—The old library building on the site of Slotsholmen was built in 1906. Though the library door was closed for unknown reason, I was able to visit the garden and surroundings of the building.

The Black Diamond ((Det KGL Bibliotek)—This is the Royal Library’s extension which was opened in 1999. Its entrance faces a waterfront. The building was designed by Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects. The people of Copenhagen take great pride in this building. According to the fact sheet at the Library, the building is covered with Absolute Black granite, mined in Zimbabwe, and cut and polished in northern Italy. There are 450 rooms in the building and 800 doors requiring keys. In addition to housing print collections, the library also offers space for exhibitions, a concert hall, conference rooms, café, and bookshop.

Copenhagen Central Library (Københavns Biblioteker)—It serves as a public library in the City. The four-floor facility houses collections in arts, literature, humanities, sciences, music, film, children’s areas, web workshop, exhibitions, and other library functions. The Library’s extensive collection on English-language newspapers and periodicals is quite impressive, though the Library uses the Denmark Decimal Classification System for its print collections.

Interior, Black Diamond Library, the new Royal Library

Future Congress

The 2011 IFLA Congress will be held in San Juan, Puerto Rico. A large presence of librarians from the United States and Central and South American countries are expected to participate in the Congress.

Bibliography Section

Charlene Chou, Columbia University, and Glenn Patton, OCLC

Gothenburg, Sweden, provided a wonderful location and excellent conference facilities for the 76th IFLA World Library and Information Congress, August 10–15, 2010. About 3,500 delegates enjoyed the hospitality of the city and participated in more than 160 sessions and meetings, which focused on the theme, “Open Access to Knowledge—Promoting Sustainable Progress.” Gothenburg was a somewhat late substitution after IFLA’s decision in 2009 not to proceed with Brisbane, Australia, as the location for this conference but the Swedish Organizing Committee produced a conference that showed no signs of a shorter-than-average preparation time.

Interior, Copenhagen Central Library

Anke Meyer from Deutsche Nationalbibliothek (DNB) and Charlene Chou from Columbia University organized the Open Forum for the Bibliography Section Standing Committee, and selected four out of seven proposals for the section program in Gothenburg, Sweden. The theme of the session was "Open Access to National Bibliographies: Best Practices and Business Models." The selected papers from Germany, Serbia and Poland presented their new business models to meet the challenges of implementing open access, such as financial issues, with outcome analysis, i.e. users’ satisfaction and feedback. The paper from Iran did a thorough content analysis for their open access manuscripts in National Library and Archives of Iran. There were approximately 100 attendees for the program on August 12. After four presentations, Anke led the Q&A session and had a lively discussion with all presenters and some attendees. Four papers have been translated into several languages with the assistance from committee members, and they are available online at: http://www.ifla.org/en/news/papers-for-congress-track-1-world-library-and-information-congress-12-august-2010.

At its business meetings, the Bibliography Section Standing Committee discussed several initiatives begun at last year’s congress in Milan. These include final plans for the international bibliography conference in St. Petersburg, Russia, in September ( http://www.nlr.ru/tus/20100921/eng/index.html), in which section members will participate; and the reports of working groups which considered ways to provide a renewed focus on bibliographic standards within IFLA (chaired by Glenn Patton) and made recommendations on a future direction for the IFLA publication, International Cataloguing and Bibliographic Control (ICBC). The committee also heard about the latest plans for a seminar on national bibliographies in French-speaking Africa, to be held in November 22–26, 2010, in Mali. Section members will have leadership roles in the seminar. The seminar organizers have received support from the IFLA Bibliography Section and the IFLA National Libraries Section, from IFLA Action for Development through Libraries (ALP) Programme, from the Mali government and from the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie with other support coming from OCLC in the form of a speaker and supply of bibliographic data for analysis.

Charlene Chou represents the Bibliography Section on two active groups. The IFLA Working Group on Guidelines for Subject Access by National Bibliographic Agencies is chaired by Yvonne Jahns from the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek with representatives from the Classification and Indexing, Cataloguing and Bibliography Sections. An initial draft of the guidelines was discussed at the group meeting on August 13, 2010, and the revised draft will be posted on the group wiki. Jahns will organize a meeting for working group members by next January so that a further revised version can be presented in the next IFLA annual conference. Chou is in charge of chapter six—Functionality and interface, and welcomes the comments from committee members. The IFLA Namespaces Task Group is chaired by Gordon Dunsire with the representatives from several standing committees. The final report was sent to the IFLA Professional Committee before its meeting in April 2010. The focus of the report is on the management of IFLA bibliographic standards in relation to the Semantic Web. The final report made nine recommendations, and all recommendations except the formation of a Technical Group can be met by contracting third-party suppliers in place of any in-house development.

In other business, the Standing Committee reviewed the group’s activities against the section’s strategic plan and began the process of creating action plans for the coming year as part of IFLA’s revised strategic planning process and new strategic plan ( http://www.ifla.org/files/hq/gb/strategic-plan/2010-2015.pdf). Two aspects of the section’s work are of particular interest. The section’s blog ( http://blogs.ifla.org/bibliography/) was started during the past year as a way of communicating news of interest in a more timely fashion than was previously possible with the section’s newsletter. During the coming year, the section will focus on increasing contributions to the blog and publicizing its availability for widely. The section has also begun building a register of national bibliographies ( http://www.ifla.org/en/node/2216) to provide up-to-date information about these important resources. Entries contain information about the history and background, scope, organization and administration, services offered, business models, standards used, etc. At present, twenty-two national bibliographies are included in the register and, during the coming year, the section will concentrate on increasing that number.

The congress ended on a sad note as attendees learned of the death of Bob McKee, Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), on August 13, 2010. McKee had been active for many years in IFLA (including service on the Governing Board and membership in the FAIFE Committee) and will be greatly missed by his IFLA colleagues.

Beginning with the 2013 Congress, IFLA will begin a seven-year cycle designed to ensure rotation in geographic locations: 2013 in Asia and Oceania; 2014 in Europe; 2015 in Africa; 2016 in North America; 2017 in Europe; 2018 in Latin America and the Caribbean; and, 2019 in Europe.

Cataloguing Section

William Garrison, University of South Florida and John Hostage, Harvard Law School

The World Library and Information Congress: 76th General Conference and Council of IFLA was held in August 2010 in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Anders Cato of the National Library of Sweden chaired the activities of the Cataloguing Section. Bill Garrison of the University of South Florida serves as newsletter editor, and John Hostage of Harvard Law School serves as information coordinator with Ana BarbariÄ‡ of the University of Zagreb, Croatia, as secretary.

The Cataloguing Section is participating in efforts to create an IFLA namespace for various standards established by IFLA, including the ISBD (International Standard Bibliographic Description), FRBR (Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records), FRAD (Functional Requirements for Authority Data), FRSAD (Functional Requirements for Subject Authority Data), etc. This will make the elements and vocabularies in IFLA standards easier to share in a web environment.

The FRBR Review Group is chaired by Pat Riva of Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec. The group provides a place within IFLA for the support and development of the FRBR conceptual model. Now that the Functional Requirements for Subject Authority Data have been published, the review group will begin the task of consolidating that model with FRBR and FRAD. The Working Group on Aggregates continues to study the modeling of different categories of aggregates. The Working Group on FRBR/CRM Dialogue is continuing to work on an object-oriented model of FRBR, which has been released in version 1.0.1 as of January 2010.

The ISBD Review Group is chaired by Elena Escolano Rodríguez of the National Library of Spain. Now that the preliminary consolidated edition of the International Standard Bibliographic Description has been published, the group is focusing on the first round of updates. There is still work to be done in harmonizing the provisions of the ISBD. Meanwhile, a new Area 0 (Content form and media type) for the ISBD and a collection of full examples of ISBD records in multiple languages have been published. The review group also has an ISBD/XML Study Group that is investigating an expression of the ISBD elements in an XML/RDF schema.

The next World Library and Information Congress and IFLA General Conference and Council will be held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in August 2011.

Classification and Indexing Section

David Miller, Curry College and Edward T. O’Neill, OCLC Research

At the World Library and Information Congress in Gothenburg, Sweden, the Classification and Indexing Section partnered with the Information Technology, Cataloguing, and Knowledge Management Sections to present a nearly four-hour program, “Libraries and the Semantic Web.” This collaboration among four Sections arose from the realization at the WLIC in Milan (2009) that interest in the Semantic Web was common to each and that the topic would be well addressed in a unified set of presentations. Despite the length of the program, it was not only well-attended, but the number of attendees remained consistent through the final talk. Richard Wallis (TALIS) provided the keynote address. The morning’s presentations included topics ranging from “Initiatives to make standard library metadata models and structures available to the Semantic Web,” to the Europeana data model and the German CONTENTUS project, linking of open data and “Porting library vocabularies to the Semantic Web and back.” Links to most of the full papers are provided at http://www.ifla.org/en/conferences-session-day/2010-08-15 (scroll to Session 149).

This year was the Classification and Indexing Section’s first in the new IFLA Division III, Library Services. IFLA’s divisional structure has been reorganized, from eight former Divisions to five at present. The four Sections of the former Division IV, Bibliographic Control, which also included Cataloguing, Bibliography, and Knowledge Management, are now joined by seven other Sections, such as Information Literacy, Information Technology, Libraries for Children and Young Adults, and Reference and Information Services. The Library Services Division is also the home of the IFLA UNIMARC Core Activity.

The Functional Requirements for Subject Authority Data (FRSAD) Final Report was approved for publication in early summer, and is available at http://www.ifla.org/en/node/1297. With this publication, the family of “FR” documents—including Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) and Functional Requirements for Authority Data (FRAD)—is complete. However, it is necessary to examine the three reports with the object of further harmonization and consolidation. This task now falls to the Cataloguing Section’s FRBR Review Group, which edited its terms of reference to become responsible for the whole FRBR family of models ( http://www.ifla.org/en/about-the-frbr-review-group).

The Section’s Working Group for Subject Access by National Bibliographic Agencies (Yvonne Jahns, chair) met in Germany between the Milan and Gothenburg Congresses. Attendance at this mid-year meeting was possible thanks to funding from IFLA. The Working Group produced an initial draft of its guidelines and aims for publication in 2001.

Section Standing Committee member Gordon Dunsire (University of Strathclyde) chaired the IFLA Namespaces Task Group, which presented a report to the IFLA Professional Committee in March 2010. The Task Group includes representatives from the Bibliography, Cataloguing, Classification and Indexing, and Information Technology Sections, and the FRBR Review Group, ISBD Review Group, and ISBD/XML Task Group. The impetus for the Task Group arose from concern about the place of IFLA standards in the Association’s new divisional structure, a topic discussed during the Milan conference. The Task Group’s focus was to recommend a structure to coordinate, maintain, and promote IFLA standards from a technical point of view, given the general consensus within the relevant IFLA groups that these standards have a significant potential role in the development and utility of the Semantic Web. The Task Group’s March report included nine recommendations, and was well-received by the Professional Committee. A technical group will be formed, to “coordinate IFLA standards and develop common approaches to their maintenance, promotion, and interaction with third-parties”, and will review the other recommendations in the March paper.

Following the Gothenburg Congress, the Multilingual Dictionary of Cataloguing Terms and Concepts (MulDiCat) was published on the Classification and Indexing Section web site ( http://www.ifla.org/en/publications/multilingual-dictionary-of-cataloguing-terms-and-concepts-muldicat). MulDiCat, a project of the Cataloguing Section, was edited by made ready for initial Web publication by Barbara Tillett (Library of Congress), Classification and Indexing Section. MulDiCat contains definitions for many terms and concepts used by the library cataloguing community. Terms and definitions are available in English and a variety of other languages. It is intended to be used for authoritative translations of IFLA cataloguing standards and related documents. The terms reflect international agreements on terms to use for these cataloguing and classification concepts—in particular, the agreements reached during the IME ICC (IFLA Meetings of Experts on an International Cataloguing Code) that reviewed FRBR, FRAD, and ISBD terminology while developing the International Cataloguing Principles (ICP). As additional official translations of ICP are added to IFLANET, MulDiCat has been updated to include terms in these additional languages. Other terms will be added as international agreement is reached for them.

Preservation and Conservation Section

Jeanne Drewes, Library of Congress

The IFLA Preservation and Conservation Section held two committee meetings where it was decided to cosponsor a program in 2011 with the Audio/Visual Section and to hold a satellite meeting in 2012 in Helsinki. It was also proposed to create a new brochure to encourage membership and that will soon be on the web site for download in various languages. The Special Interest Group on Sustainability will continue to be sponsored by the committee. They are in their second year and had a well attended program. The newsletter editor, also the current ALA ALCTS representative, will be concluding her term of service on the committee and a new newsletter editor will be needed. The cosponsored programs were well-attended. There is generally strong interest in preservation among the IFLA attendees. To read more about the programs please see the newsletter: http://www.ifla.org/en/preservation-and-conservation.

A satellite meeting on conservation research was also held in August in Uppsala. Some of the papers will be published on the web site in the near future.

There was also an update on the disaster response of IFLA for Haiti cultural materials. To hear the panel that was presented see http://2010.ifla.org/node/1828. There will more updates on Haiti efforts in the newsletter. The IFLA P and C section is always looking for translators of publications and links to such publications already translated.

News from ALCTS

ANO Editor Search

The Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS) invites applications and nominations for the position of Editor of the ALCTS Newsletter Online (ANO), the association’s official newsletter. ANO is a digital publication currently published quarterly. The editor will be appointed for a renewable three-year term, beginning July 1, 2010 just after the conclusion of the ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans. ANO currently contains announcements and reports of ALCTS, educational programs, committee and interest group work, and other activities. The scope of the newsletter will change as strategic direction moves into a more interactive, digital environment. The future newsletter will incorporate not only the traditional news and reports but selected articles, news feeds and continuing updates to keep the newsletter content fresh and up-to-date. The newsletter will continue to cover broader news from the library community, ALA, financial reports, meeting schedules, honors, awards, and news about its members.

The Newsletter Editor is expected to take a leading role in the delivery of news that ALCTS members need to know from the association and the library community beyond. The Editor will have responsibility to set the strategic direction of the newsletter including priorities, content, production, marketing and interaction with the other publishing initiatives of ALCTS. The Editor may oversee additional newsletter contributors and possibly serve as chair of a small editorial board. The Editor works closely with the ALCTS Publications Manager in the ALCTS Office for editing and production. The Editor reports directly to the ALCTS Board of Directors and submits an annual report to the Board by the ALA Midwinter Meeting.

The editor serves as an ex-officio non-voting member of the ALCTS Board of Directors, attends all Board meetings , and participates in all discussions and planning. The Editor serves as an ex-officio member of the ALCTS Publications Committee, the LRTS Editorial Board, and the ALCTS Membership Committee. The editor is responsible for informing these groups of issues and developments affecting ANO and soliciting and incorporating suggestions regarding general content. The successful candidate will work closely with the LRTS Editor and the Paper Series Editor to provide coverage of issues of importance to ALCTS members and the profession. The editor works with the ALCTS Executive Director and other ALCTS staff members to ensure full coverage of division activities. The current editorial policy is available in the September 2010 issue of the Newsletter.

This is position is a highly visible one and requires experience producing an electronic newsletter or other digital publication experience, the ability to establish strategic direction and future initiatives, demonstrated writing and editing ability, familiarity with the issues in areas of ALCTS interests; ability to meet deadlines; ability to work closely with groups and individuals, and experience with the technology and processes required for the production of an electronic publication. Membership in ALCTS is required, along with attendance at both the ALA Annual Conference and Midwinter Meetings. A generous annual stipend is provided to support attendance. Desirable qualifications include prior experience on ALCTS committees or interest groups, experience with social networking tools and social media and experience with a Drupal-based web environment.

The application deadline is March 4, 2011. A letter describing the applicant's interest and qualifications for the editor position and a current vita should be submitted to Mary Case, University Librarian, University of Illinois–Chicago, marycase@uic.edu. The search committee expects to conduct phone interviews in late March or early April. Only electronic applications will be considered.

LRTS Announces Availability of Grants Up to $1,000

Library Resources & Technical Services (LRTS) announces the availability of grants of up to $1,000 (funded by an ALA Carnegie-Whitney Grant) to assist authors with preparing literature reviews. The purpose of the grants is to provide funds that will be used for clerical and research support, thereby allowing the author/s to concentrate on analyzing the resources and writing the literature review. Possible tasks might be collecting citations, sorting and organizing citations by themes and categories, locating and gathering resources to be reviewed, verifying citations, funding purchases of articles not owned by the home institution of the author, and so forth. Funding also could provide a mentoring opportunity by funding assistance by a library school or information science student.

Highly cited, literature reviews provide an essential professional service to practitioners, scholars, and students by identifying the key themes and the most important publications appearing in successive two year periods. Books and articles by accredited scholars and researchers, i.e., primarily peer-reviewed publications provide the basis for a literature review. A good literature review is evaluative, selective, and critical, and goes beyond summarizing and quoting from the selected sources. Literature reviews explain why the sources cited are important and valuable, may compare them to prior works, and create a structure that organizes the two-year body of content to make it comprehensible and to identify themes, not only for those who have followed the developments it describes, but to future researchers. All sources referenced appear in the endnotes; a separate bibliography is not published. Although commissioned, LRTS literature reviews go through the same double-blind peer review process as unsolicited manuscripts.

LRTS seeks authors for the following topical areas and coverage periods:

Acquisitions literature published 2010-2011

Serials literature published 2010-2011

Papers should be submitted not later than June 30, 2012. Grant recipients will be required to submit progress reports to the LRTS Editor twice a year.

The grant proposal must include:

Requester name, title, and contact information

The literature to be reviewed (see list above)

The requester’s credentials to write the literature review

Amount requested

Budget plan and rationale for how the funds will be expended

Proposals are due by January 31, 2011.

Applications and inquiries should be submitted to Peggy Johnson, LRTS Editor, lrtseditor@ala.org.

New Student Employees and Volunteers in Libraries Email Discussion List

ALCTS is pleased to provide a new email discussion list, "Student Employees and Volunteers in Libraries,” following on the success of the ALCTS E-Forum, "Managing Student Employees/Volunteers in Libraries," moderated by Judy Quist. Find information and archives online.

Are you interested in learning how other libraries manage their student employees and volunteers? Do you have questions and want to share advice, communication techniques, recognition programs, disciplinary strategies, or more that relate to your student and volunteer workforce? Join this list for an ongoing opportunity to discuss the issues.

Join the List

Enter the email address where you would like to receive the list messages

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To create your own password, click on "Your Preferences." and create a new password and make a note of it.

You can return to lists.ala.org anytime to manage your subscription:

change your email address for any reason

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ALCTS Videos on YouTube

Did you know that in addition to having a Facebook presence and being on Twitter, ALCTS also has videos on YouTube? The videos include ALCTS Past President Dina Giambi discussing her experience as an ALCTS elected officer, ALCTS President-Elect Betsy Simpson imparting leader tips, ALCTS member Heather Moulaison discussing how she became involved with ALCTS, ALCTS Member Keri Cascio (who is featured in two videos) discussing webinars and her ALCTS experience, ALCTS Member Nancy Kraft discussing her ALCTS experience, ALCTS Past-President Pamela Bluh discussing how to serve as a successful committee chair, and ALCTS Executive Director Charles Wilt discussing Preservation Week. The videos are available by going to YouTube ( www.youtube.com) and entering ALCTS as the search term.

News from ALA

Candidates Announced for 2010 Midwinter Council Executive Board Election

ALA has released its list of candidates for the upcoming 2010 election. Note: The slate is available through AL Direct and in American Libraries; a press release has not been issued. This is not the final list of candidates; any ALA member who wants to be on the ballet may file a petition. The deadline for filing is February 2, 2011. A final slate of candidates will be available after the petition deadline.

Note that a number of ALCTS members are running for ALA Council:

Xan Arch (Stanford University)

John DeSantis (Dartmouth College)

Xudong Jin (Ohio Wesleyan University)

Patricia Ann Loghry (University of Notre Dame)

Andrew Pace (OCLC)

Holly Tomren (University of California-Irvine)

Kelvin Watson (National Agricultural Library)

ALA Presidential Candidates

Susan Stroyan and Maureen Sullivan are the candidates for the 2012–13 presidency of the American Library Association (ALA).

Stroyan is the Information Services Librarian at the Ames Library at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois. She has held leadership positions in public, special, multitype library system, and academic settings over the past thirty-four years.

Sullivan serves as a consultant to numerous libraries of all types (academic, public, school, law. health sciences and other special libraries) and library consortia. In addition, she is a professor of practice in the Ph.D. program, Managerial Leadership in the Information Professions, at the Simmons College Graduate School of Library and Information Science.

The following questions were posed to the 2011 candidates for the ALA presidency. Their responses follow with Stroyan’s remarks in green and Sullivan’s remarks in blue.

1. Why did you decide to run for ALA president? If you are elected, what will be your primary focus? What do you hope to accomplish during your term?

Stroyan: Last spring a former student sent me an email telling me how I had made a difference in her life; how my teaching and mentoring had meant so much to her. It’s very gratifying to know that you’ve influenced even one person for the good, and I realized that an ALA president can influence so many more people, not only other librarians but stakeholders in their communities. It’s an old story really – I have been mentored, taught, collaborated with and given every opportunity I could ask for during my career by those that have come before me and those around me, and I want to give back to this profession in every way that I can.

Let me tell you a bit about myself. I have worked in libraries since I was sixteen-years-old. Like so many of us, my first job was as a page in the public library in my home town of Lincoln, Illinois. By the time that I started my bachelors degree at Illinois State University, I knew that I wanted to be a librarian, and was employed as a work study student while completing a double major in library science and American history. I went on to complete my masters and PhD in library science at the University of Illinois with a focus on digital library issues. I've worked in many types of libraries: public, academic, special, even a library system. I'm so very proud to be a librarian. I love libraries and the people who work in them. What a smart, dedicated and creative group of people! It's an honor to be asked to run for this office; to represent the members of this profession as their spokesperson.

Over the past few years, ALA Presidents have focused on advocacy and diversity with incredible results. New programs such as Spectrum Scholars ( http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/diversity/spectrum/index.xml) and Emerging Leaders ( http://www.ala.org/ala/educationcareers/leadership/emergingleaders/index.xml) are infusing our profession with people of color and identifying energetic creative people to help shape the direction of our organization through their innovative efforts. I support these initiatives and will work to see them flourish and become even more integral elements of the organization. During my year as president, I would like to focus on two other ALA 2015 strategic goals: TRANSFORMING LIBRARIES and MEMBER ENGAGEMENT.

These two goals speak to me for a number of reasons. Transforming Libraries is about how libraries adapt to our changing environment. I believe change is at the heart of any truly excellent library. Libraries will always, have always, and will continue to change to meet the needs of our constituents. Our libraries have evolved from the practices of the Ancient Library of Alexandria ( http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/14417/Library-of-Alexandria) to now the University of Texas San Antonio Library opening without any books. (http://www.utsa.edu/today/2010/09/aetlibrary.html) As long as I have been involved in libraries, we have ALWAYS been evolving, changing, transforming. The question is how can our professional association help facilitate that transformation? What can the American Library Association do for you, its members, to help you and your library adapt to the latest challenges and continue to thrive in your community?

I have some ideas and I want to hear your ideas. Together I think we can come up with some remarkable prospects for you and ALA.

Here are a few examples:

The stories of award winning librarians and libraries should be captured and posted on the ALA web site in detail for others to replicate;

Poster sessions could include a 2-5 minute video vignette posted on a shared YouTube site for all ALA members to see;

Members could be encouraged to assist/teach each other through short webinars, podcasts, call-outs etc. on a “Tech Tuesday” model

ALA staff capture news stories about successful libraries/librarians/staff members about model programs/ideas/events to followed up by divisions/roundtable/offices to acquire the full story so others may replicate it as best practice.

Member Engagement is about ALA providing opportunities for all members to be a part of the solution. If ALA is going to be different, then we have to want it to be different and make that happen. I want to help put into place situations within the ALA structure that allow you to participate in as many meaningful ways as you are interested in doing. It also means you are engaged with your community:

Create an environment for a virtual conference.

Continue and expand Jim Rettig's highly successful grassroots programming where members not affiliated with any unit were able to provide programs at conference.

Offer opportunities for member to member engagement where successful programs can be shared.

Develop easier use of ALA’s web page for members.

My theme, LEADING FROM LIBRARIES ( www.SueStroyan.com) brings these two goals together through training, sharing, mentoring, showcasing our achievements—all using technologies we have available to us today. I'm inspired by my many colleagues around the country who have reached enormous successes in these incredible difficult economic times. I want to champion these successes during my year as president. I want to connect members with each other by finding ways to allow us to communicate more openly, easily, and quickly.

Sullivan: This is a time of great opportunity and some risk for libraries, librarians and library staff. While those who fund and govern libraries often ask questions about the value of what we do and how we contribute to our communities, those who use our services and come to our programs know our value and contributions. We must strengthen our ability to make the case and I believe that ALA is the best resource and voice for us on a national level. The new Strategic Plan and its seven key action areas provide an excellent framework for ensuring a vibrant and meaningful future for the profession. My first read of it made me want to pursue this important leadership position.

Another compelling document that influenced my decision to run is the ALA Young Librarians Working Group Final Report and Recommendations (6/11/2010). I have had the privilege of being involved in the ALA Emerging Leaders program from its inception as one of ALA President Leslie Burger’s initiatives. Participants in this program and many other new professionals with whom I have worked in the past five years are eager to contribute to ALA and to the profession. This report lays out a series of short-term and longer-term steps designed to increase the engagement and integration of new professionals. I believe our ability to do this is critical to the future of ALA.

ALA has been a continuing source of enrichment and professional development for me throughout my career. Service as the ALA president for me is the best way to contribute and I am now able to make the time commitment necessary.

My focus will be to build upon the work of recent ALA presidents in the areas of advocacy, diversity and ensuring that libraries and librarians remain vital in a transformed context. My professional work in the past twenty years has been focused on helping libraries to become more effective organizations and developing the leadership capability of librarians and others who work in libraries. As president of ALA I will bring this experience and a deep commitment to strengthening the profession and all who work in it.

I will take the opportunity share my ideas but I very much want the campaign to be a time for me to listen and learn from the many, diverse voices among the ALA membership.

Provide effective leadership to ALA as a whole and be a strong voice for libraries and how they make a difference in people’s lives

Foster greater collaboration among ALA divisions and units – focus on common opportunities and aspirations

Develop an ALA-wide leadership development initiative through a process in which the divisions and other appropriate ALA units would participate

Find ways to relate to and serve the variety of professionals who seek community within our many divisions

Engage more new professionals in meaningful ways and retain them as members

Identify sustainable ways to promote synergies between local government and libraries

Explore ways to strengthen and extend our international activities

2. Please discuss how your ALA goals and philosophy relate to ALCTS. How might ALCTS help facilitate achievement of those goals?

Stroyan: ALCTS members can play an integral part in the achievement of my theme Leading from Libraries by contacting me ( sstroyan@iwu.edu) with responses to my ideas, and suggesting additional ideas they may have that I have set forth for my term as ALA President. ACLTS has been a leader in conference programming for years. Your recent institutes and forums on cutting-edge topics are a model for the kinds of programming the entire organization could offer to inform and engage members. I would also look to ALCTS to help me articulate positions on issues of national significance, such as preservation and access, the Google Book settlement, etc. Your division is a treasure trove of expertise and I think I would be coming to you to "pick your brains" frequently. Also, as indicated above, I intend to provide opportunities to shine a light on individual members with expertise so they may share their creative projects, programs or model apps with other members. Through these opportunities I intend to use these examples to advocate for more library dollars both within our institutions and to our larger communities.

Sullivan: The more than 5,000 members of ALCTS do some of the most important work in libraries today. This includes the work to develop metadata standards, ensuring that libraries have collections and access to collections that those whom they serve need and want, continuing to provide intellectual access to the ever-expanding world of information and knowledge, and the absolute necessity of preserving information and materials in a variety of formats.

ALCTS members also face some of the more serious challenges as libraries transform in the digital world. ALCTS and its members are dedicated to ALA’s core values, especially those principles that ensure access to information. ALCTS will advance ALA’s goals by continuing to align its goals and plans with those outlined in the Strategic Plan. The commitment and engagement of every ALA division and unit is critical to implementation of the new plan and the overall success of ALA. I think the best way to address this question is through discussion with ALCTS leadership. I am confident that together we can determine meaningful ways for this to happen.

3. What do you see as the greatest challenges facing individuals engaged in the areas of work represented by ALCTS (acquisitions, cataloging, serials, preservation, and collection development) in the near term future? How can ALA assist ALCTS members to meet those challenges?

Stroyan: ALCTS has risen to the challenges of change in libraries since the introduction of the MARC format and OCLC in the 1970s. Change continues to be the name of the game for the individuals in library areas associated with ALCTS. First and foremost is the anticipated implementation of RDA. When testing is completed in early 2011, it’s expected that it will be implemented in a number of libraries. The transition may be more difficult for smaller libraries. ALCTS is the natural group to organize training efforts throughout the country. Possibilities might include: regional workshops where catalogers can work on samples together and learn from each other; train the trainer workshops; and webinars. Somewhat related to the RDA issue is the future of MARC and whether it will be replaced. Discussions of RDA and MARC seem to go hand in hand. Will the replacement of MARC be universally adopted or will cataloging in MARC co-exist with RDA? Another major challenge is the continued shrinking of the budget for personnel and resources. Perhaps ALCTS could develop materials to help administrators understand the value added services of technical services. Lastly, the pace of technological change is unrelenting which strains the resources of each individual institution and ACTLS itself to keep up with the training and retraining challenges for all ALA members. I suspect that you are looking into ways that the new social networking media can help with this challenge.

Sullivan: I believe the greatest challenge is making the transition to the digital context and doing so with confidence and affirmation of the valuable contributions this work has made and will make in the future. We can play a critical stewardship role and collaborate with other professionals and scholars to insure the preservation of data and metadata for scientific, social, and artistic research that will serve future generations.

I believe it is very important for librarians to identify what the critical work activities and roles will be in the future; to explore the different ways in which this work might be performed; to identify the key competencies that will be needed; and to plan how to embrace new roles and educate new and continuing professionals to successfully carry out these responsibilities. ALA can assist by affirming the importance of this work, the need to rethink how it will be performed in the future, and by working with ALCTS to ensure that its members have the opportunities and support for the professional development that is needed.

4. How can ALA ensure that certain members, whose primary affiliation is to a "type of activity" division, feel connected to the concerns of the organization as a whole? How might their involvement be increased? How might ALA's awareness of their concerns be increased?

Stroyan: ALA is made up of divisions, programs, roundtables, committees, offices which allow members to find niches where they find colleagues to work on standards, best practices, programs, etc. This is a strength that becomes a challenge when an organization as large as ALA tries to include all members in all concerns. I have worked in many types of libraries and have been involved in RUSA, ACRL, NMRT, ALA and LLAMA. We must be inclusive to solve our problems, yet there are times when an issue is beyond just one division or roundtable. This is when the strength is in the larger organization’s mission. For example, ALCTS might bring an issue to ALA Council which then would support that and make the issue an ALA issue. The opposite can happen where a concern comes up and the expertise of the division is needed to address the details of the issue before action is taken by Council. It is imperative that ALCTS members participate in the governance of ALA to maintain the division’s involvement in the larger organization. As your president I pledge that I will ask, “Who should be at the table for this discussion?” In making appointments I will seek advice from all ALA units for committee appointments, advisory groups, advocacy, and on any crisis issues I will seek advice from appropriate units as they may arise during my term.

Sullivan: ALA can do this by actively promoting cross-divisional collaboration; continuing to offer programs and services that have broad appeal; offering professional development opportunities that transcend “type of activity” boundaries, engaging division leaders in discussions and decisions that affect the profession as a whole and creating opportunities for “type of activity” members to contribute to ALA-wide initiatives.

5. In recent years it has been difficult for ALCTS members to "see themselves" or to see that the association embraces issues that are critical to ALCTS. What steps will you take to increase ALA's inclusiveness within its own ranks?

Stroyan: ALA is a large organization and no one person can easily be an expert on every issue. ALA’s president must rely on its division’s experts to fully appreciate the issues and concerns that must be addressed. If I am elected, as your president, I’ll appoint ALCTS members to appropriate committees and task forces. Other opportunities for ACLTS voices to be heard would include joint sessions such as fall leadership planning and midwinter and annual conference interaction leadership initiatives.

Sullivan: The first step I will take is to work with the newly elected leaders of the divisions to identify ways to promote collaboration and inclusiveness. I will solicit their ideas and opinions and will welcome requests that are specific to the needs of their members. I also will solicit suggestions for committee appointments and will make a special effort to identify committees where the expertise and experience of ALCTS members is important. I will consult ALCTS leadership on those issues that most directly relate to your work and are of importance to you. I welcome your ideas and perspectives.

Call for Poster Sessions for ALA Annual 2011 in New Orleans

The 2011 ALA Annual Poster Session proposal form is now available. The deadline for submitting proposals is January 7, 2011. Notifications of selected poster sessions for 2011 will be sent on or before February 28, 2011 prior to the ALA Early Bird Registration deadline. Contact Candace Benefiel ( CBENEFIE@lib-gw.tamu.edu), Poster Session Review Panel Chair, for more information.

ALA Launches New Conference Scheduler

ALA’s Information Technology and Telecommunication Services (ITTS) has spent three months building a new Conference Scheduler (formerly known as the “Event Planner”) into ALA Connect, and it officially launched on December 13, 2010 in the afternoon.

The new Scheduler will offer a number of new features for attendees, such as:

The use of existing [Connect] logins rather than new ones

Personalized recommendations for sessions and exhibitors based on your ALA groups/affiliations, profile interests, and types of libraries you noted you’re interested in

Real-time data for both sessions and exhibitors

The ability to prioritize multiple sessions in the same time slot

The ability to link to sessions from external sites

Commenting on sessions

Links on session pages to the group’s Connect page

The ability to mark a session as “attended” and produce a list of everything you went to

Logos for and links to sponsoring units

Expanded options for searching by meeting type and location

Midwinter Meeting Wiki Now Available

The Midwinter Meeting wiki ( http://alamw.ala.org/2011/index.php?title=Main_Page) is now available. The wiki is open to all attendees and exhibitors who will be attending the 2011 ALA Midwinter Meeting in San Diego January 7–11, 2011. The wiki includes a Midwinter Meeting preview, general information, association work, events (including those for first-time attendees and those seeking employment), discussion and interest group information, and a guide to San Diego.

News from the Profession

California Library Association Presents Two Awards

Technical Services Interest Group Award of Achievement

The TSIG Award of Achievement is an opportunity to recognize colleagues who have made outstanding contributions in those areas of librarianship that have been especially challenged by the need for innovation and adaptation in dealing with rapidly changing technology and work environments.

Julie Moore is the 2010 winner of the TSIG Award of Achievement. Moore is a catalog librarian who has made significant contributions to the profession of cataloging in California as well as across the United States. She is a tenured, full librarian on the faculty of the Henry Madden Library, California State University, Fresno. She has been recognized twice by her university with its Outstanding Library Publications Award, the most recent of which was for the Guide to Cataloging DVD and Blu-ray Discs Using AACR2r and MARC 21: 2008 Update. (She served as co-author and co-editor on the DVD Cataloging Guide Update Task Force, Cataloging Policy Committee, Online Audiovisual Catalogers, Inc.)

Moore is an expert cataloger (with a special interest in special formats) and a gifted cataloging educator. Her ability as a trainer and presenter has contributed to CLA TSIG's reputation for quality programs and workshops. In 2007, Moore co-planned a CLA Conference institute on electronic resource management, presented her own workshop on cataloging realia, and explained RDA: Resource Description and Access at a poster session.

The CLA TSIG is pleased to honor Julie Moore for her enthusiastic and tireless devotion to the library profession, technical services, and continuing education for catalogers everywhere.

The CLA New Leader Award is a $500 stipend to support attendance at the CLA Annual Conference awarded to a CLA TSIG member who is currently enrolled in an MLIS program or has no more than five years of post-MLIS library experience. The applicant must demonstrate interest in a Technical Services career and willingness to serve the CLA TSIG as a future committee member or officer.

The recipient of the 2010 New Leader Award is Diane Malmstrom, currently a student in the LIS program at San Jose State University. She also works at SJSU's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library in their Acquisitions unit, where she is responsible for database purchasing, collecting statistics and managing ERM records, resolving access issues with vendors, maintaining the vendor databases, and other related duties. Malmstrom also has experience ordering and cataloging in the library's Technical Services unit, and has performed customer service duties and trained staff in the library's Access Services unit.

Malmstrom has also served as secretary of the San Jose/Dublin Ireland Sister City Program and has organized and promoted program events. The New Leader Award Committee found ample evidence of Diane's potential for leadership in her experience in libraries and in the broader community.

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Editorial Policy

(revised Dec. 2002, effective with volume 14, 2003)

Purpose

The primary purpose of the ALCTS Newsletter Online is to report the news and activities of ALCTS and its members, and to be the voice of the association.

Frequency

ALCTS Newsletter Online is issued in six numbers per annual volume. ( Note: The frequency was changed to quarterly by a board motion at the Annual Conference in New Orleans in 1999, and changed to six issues per year in 2003.)

Issues appear on approximately the 15th of each even-numbered month. To be notified when a new issue has been posted, sign up online. To change your notification address, email Christine Taylor.

Scope

The primary focus is news and reports about the activities of the association, its groups and its members, such as:

A secondary focus is reporting activities of interest to the membership relating to practice and developments in the fields of library collections and technical services, such as:

Announcements of upcoming activities of other ALA and non-ALA groups

Summary reports of meetings and activities of these groups

Announcements of new standards and standards under development

New policies and guidelines, and their effect on ALCTS members and the profession

Legislative updates and international activities affecting the profession

Recent publications of interest to members

Brief articles on"best practices" in the field

State or regional association activities and news

Feel free to submit news releases. ANO does not accept articles about commercially sold products.

Content

The editor will coordinate with the ALCTS Board of Directors and the ALCTS Publications Committee regarding the general contents of each issue, as well as with the ALCTS office staff (Executive Director and others) regarding current ALCTS priorities. The editor will attempt to keep reports concise yet complete so that all members can follow the activities of ALCTS. The editor also will strive for complete coverage of the full scope of ALCTS activities and interests.

Submission Deadlines

Content is due no later than the first day of the month of publication. Issues are posted on approximately the 15th of the month.

Author Guidelines

Manuscript Preparation

Follow these guidelines and procedures for preparing submissions for ANO:

Original submissionsOnly original, unpublished submissions will be accepted. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of statements included. Articles and reports are generally 300–500 words. Longer submissions will be considered on an individual basis.

StyleSpell out abbreviations and acronyms. Verify accuracy of all names (both personal and corporate). Confirm that email addresses or URLs provided in submissions are active and functioning.

FormatUse single line spacing within paragraphs. Separate paragraphs with double line spacing. Do not include highlighting, bold text, special fonts or text effects. Do not include page numbers, and do not use headers or footers.

FiguresPhotographs, figures, and diagrams are all considered as figures. Photographs may be requested for certain types of submissions, such as the “My ALCTS Experience” column. Photographs may accompany submissions. Photos for ANO should be submitted as .jpg files and no larger than 4 x 6 inches, resolution of 300 dpi or less (72 dpi preferred).

Number each figure consecutively. Text should contain a reference to the figure(s) (i.e., “The filled boxes are then ready to go to storage. See figure 2.”)

Provide a brief descriptive or explanatory caption for each figure (i.e., “Cooling system for the off-site storage facility.”)

Submitting manuscriptsSubmit manuscripts in Word format, preferably using Times New Roman font, 11 point. Submissions may be sent as email attachments. Email messages will not be accepted. Send submissions to Mary Beth Weber,ANO Editor ( mbfecko@rci.rutgers.edu).

CopyrightSince submissions carry a byline, the ALCTS Office needs a signed copyright agreement on file. After submissions are received, authors will be sent a copyright form to complete and fax to the ALCTS Office (instructions will be provided at that time).

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